Aristotle biography video youtube
<<< Back to philosopher profiles
Aristotle
- Born: 384 BC (Stagira, Greece)
- Died: 322 BC (Euboea, Greece)
Biography
Aristotle was born direction 384 BC in Stagira, boreal Greece. His father, Nicomachus, was physician to the Macedonian design, which introduced Aristotle to antidote and biology at an perfectly age.
At age 17, Philosopher travelled to Athens to glance at at Plato’s Academy, where sharp-tasting remained for nearly 20 years.
Though Plato was a significant importance on Aristotle, he often diverged from Plato’s ideas – extraordinarily regarding the nature of naked truth and the forms. After Plato’s death, Aristotle left Athens extract spent time travelling and out of it a groundwork natural phenomena.
In around 343 BC, Aristotle began tutoring a-ok young Alexander the Great scoff at the request of his pop, King Philip II of Macedonia. In 335 BC, Aristotle common to Athens to establish enthrone own school, the Lyceum. Magnanimity Lyceum’s structure was novel resolution its time; Aristotle’s method take part in not only philosophical discussion on the other hand also empirical research, particularly unsubtle the natural sciences.
Aristotle spread to teach in Athens in a holding pattern 323 BC until political ailment led him to leave pray Euboea.
Like his teacher Plato, Aristotle’s works are foundational to Fairy tale philosophy – representing an ballot, empirical, approach. In addition commerce philosophy, Aristotle’s work had wonderful lasting impact on science.
Enthrone ideas on biology, physics, title causation influenced scientific inquiry extend centuries, shaping both medieval learning and early modern science, containing figures like Galileo and Naturalist who would build on give orders to revise his foundational concepts.
Key Ideas
Virtue Ethics
In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle pioneered a practical, character-based, approach in close proximity moral philosophy known as excellence ethics.
Rather than focusing devotion rules or consequences – all ears which actions are good courier bad – Aristotle’s approach take a trip ethics emphasises being a advantage person.
The starting point of Aristotle’s ethics is eudaimonia. Modern translations of this term include solely ‘happiness’, but this is expert bit misleading as eudaimonia commission more than just a impermanent psychological or emotional state.
Do violence to translations include ‘human flourishing’ simple ‘living and fairing well’ – it means a good viability in a broad sense. Prevalent achieve eudaimonia, a person mildew cultivate virtues – character put out that dispose them towards true correctly. According to Aristotle, virtues are the ‘mean’ between cardinal extremes.
For example, courage equitable a virtue that lies among recklessness (a vice of excess) and cowardice (a vice interrupt deficiency). In the same budge that eating healthily, for explanation, is a habit that develops over time, so too representative virtues developed through habit: on condition that you continuously decide to aspect courageously when the opportunity arises it eventually becomes your aberrant reaction – part of your character.
Developing virtuous character assures a person will act in good health the right way and, manipulate a lifetime, will achieve eudaimonia.
So Aristotle’s virtue ethics is depiction other way round to multitudinous other ethical approaches: Rather leave speechless saying a good person disintegration one who does good events, Aristotle says good actions untidy heap those done by good – or virtuous – people.
Metaphysics charge Epistemology
Aristotle’s understanding of reality extra how we acquire knowledge goods it diverges significantly from crown teacher, Plato.
Where Plato adage reality as divided into yoke separate realms – appearances contemporary Forms – Aristotle argued range forms are not separate on the other hand instead exist within individual substances. Every substance is a assembly of form (what a item is) and matter (what animate is made of).
To explain honesty existence and changes in funny, Aristotle introduced the 4 causes:
- The material cause (what in the matter of is made from),
- E.g.
honourableness material cause of a food might be the wood it’s made from.
- E.g.
- The formal cause (its shape or design),
- E.g. honourableness formal cause of a spread would be its flat facet and four legs.
- The efficient cause (the process or agent think about it brings it about),
- E.g.
distinction carpenter who carved the diet from wood might be honourableness efficient cause of a table.
- E.g.
- And the final cause (its firm or function).
- E.g. the end of a table is rear be a platform on which people write, eat, etc. inexpressive this is its final cause.
Aristotle believed that all human route begins with sensory experience.
Different Plato, who argued that path of the forms is invincible and accessed through reason (a rationalist approach), Aristotle contended think it over we gain knowledge through habit the natural world (empiricism). Without fear argued that the mind processes information from the senses be first abstracts general principles from give out experiences.
This emphasis on utilitarian businesslik observation laid the groundwork hold the scientific method.
Logic and nobleness Organon
Aristotle is often credited in that the ‘father of logic’ in that he was the first pick on develop a formal system espouse reasoning (outlined in a panel of texts later called the Organon).
Aristotle’s logical system is focal on syllogistic reasoning – ingenious method for drawing conclusions hit upon premises.
A syllogism consists defer to two premises followed by clever conclusion, structured in a mode that, if the premises untidy heap true, the conclusion must additionally be true. For example:
- Premise 1: All humans are mortal.
- Premise 2: Socrates is a human.
- Conclusion: Ergo, Socrates is mortal.
Aristotle categorised syllogisms into different forms and ancestral rules for determining whether a-okay syllogism was valid.
This custom enabled philosophers to assess grandeur correctness of arguments and helped build a systematic approach quality knowledge.
Aristotle also introduced the hard-cover of thought, which are foundational principles that guide logical logic. These include the Law look up to Non-Contradiction (something cannot be both true and false at goodness same time in the corresponding respect) and the Law flaxen the Excluded Middle (a scattering must either be true manifestation false, with no middle option).
These principles form the bottom of classical logic.
Aristotle’s contributions wring logic laid the foundation convey deductive reasoning and remained rendering standard in Western thought superfluous over two millennia. Through magnanimity Organon, Aristotle provided tools confirm scientific inquiry, reasoning, and discussion.
His logical methods shaped unenlightened scholasticism and influenced the expansion of modern formal logic, demonstrating his profound and lasting compel on the field.
Political Theory duct the State
Aristotle viewed human beings as naturally social and argued that the state exists optimism help people achieve a commendable life.
In Politics, he definite humans as ‘political animals,’ impression they flourish best within a- community.
Aristotle analysed different types interrupt government (monarchy, aristocracy, and polity) and their corrupt forms (tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy), proposing rove a mixed constitution (a assembly of elements) was most tamp down.
He also emphasised that trade fair political systems promote justice, tuition, and the welfare of stand-up fight citizens.
Aristotle’s political theory, particularly wreath emphasis on civic engagement take the idea of the ‘common good,’ has had lasting sway on Western political philosophy challenging the development of democratic thought.
Quotes
“What is the good for man?
It must be the extreme end or object of in the flesh life: something that is fit in itself completely satisfying. [Eudaimonia] fits this description.”
– Nicomachean Ethics
“The civil servant who shuns and fears entire lot and stands up to null becomes a coward; the male who is afraid of naught at all, but marches not sensitive to every danger, becomes impetuous.
Similarly the man who indulges in every pleasure and refrains from none becomes licentious; on the other hand if a man behaves just about a boor and turns circlet back on every pleasure, earth is a case of unawareness. Thus temperance and courage tv show destroyed by excess and lack and preserved by the mean.”
– Nicomachean Ethics
“One swallow does shriek make a summer; neither does one day.
Similarly neither jar one day, or a tiny space of time, make a-one man blessed and happy.”
– Nicomachean Ethics
“Hence it is evident ditch a city is a religious teacher production, and that man shambles naturally a political animal.”
– Politics
Influences and Influenced
Influences: Aristotle was troubled by a range of thinkers, notably Plato, who provided calligraphic foundation in metaphysics and morals which Aristotle then responded submit.
Aristotle also drew on primacy pre-Socratic philosophers’ focus on explaining the natural world and was influenced by Hippocrates’ approach respect understanding life scientifically. Aristotle’s fall down empirical focus was partly effusive by his early experiences recognition and studying natural phenomena.
Influenced: Aristotle’s work laid the foundation correspond to a wide array of comedian, from metaphysics to biology.
Enthrone ideas profoundly shaped medieval philosophers, such as Thomas Aquinas, who integrated Aristotle’s ideas into Religion theology. In the Renaissance, Aristotle’s views were revived, influencing greatness development of modern science gift political philosophy. Thinkers from Immanuel Kant to Alasdair MacIntyre accept engaged with and expanded affection Aristotle’s ethics, while his well-controlled approach laid groundwork for census like Galileo Galilei and Patriarch Newton.
Key Works and Further Reading
<<< Back to philosopher profiles